This has been a very somber week for me.  It was Thanksgiving week, which I love. I cook and I'm surrounded by my family who I love with all my heart.  I am thankful for my Lord and Saviour, Jesus because He loves me and saw fit to reach out to me when I was 7 years old and convict my heart and cause me to see my sin and reach out for Him.  I am thankful for too many blessings to list but are beyond anything I deserve.  That is what Thanksgiving is to me, but this year a things were a little different.  I saw the power of God in so many ways around me and those in my life.  I witnessed His unequaled(sorry, not sure that is a word, but should be) care for some of His children this past week.  I saw heartbreaking sadness. I saw pain and doubt.  I saw God's people reaching out to pray and seek God.  I don't want to go into detail on either of these losses, but God took two baby girls home this week and even though my heart breaks for both families, I can only see God working.  If this would have happened a year ago, 2 years ago, I am not sure what my reaction would have been. Over the past year, God has touched my life and made me so aware of all the things He does.  Not just for me but for those around me. He is God! and I am not sure some people understand that sometimes.  He knows exactly what He is doing and it doesn't matter if we understand it or not, but if we live in Him, He comforts and consoles us and somehow we get through it.  I know that these 2 families have a long road ahead but I also know that with everyone who trusts God and believes in His unfailing love, He will carry them on the days when they just can't make it.  He will guide them when they are feeling numb.  He will give them rest when they feel they just can't go one more step.  He sees there tears and knows the heart of His children.  If there are lost souls in either of these families, it should show them the power of God and as Christians we should be showing them our faith through all of the turmoil and sadness.  It breaks my heart as a Mommy and a Grandma but I know that God is bigger and knows what He is doing and that if we allow Him, He will comfort and give us that extra grace to see the big picture in everything that happens around us.  I know that these families have a long road ahead and there are no magic words to heal their hearts and nothing I can say will change how they feel or what they are going through.  All I can do is ask God to comfort them and surround them with His care.  If there are any who are lost without Christ, I pray that they will see God and His power and want a personal relationship with Him.

On this Sunday morning as I get ready to go to God's house and worship Him, I am very thankful for Jesus, who died on that cruel cross for me.  Who could have walked away and not done what His Father needed Him to do, but He didn't.  His love for me was so great that He took all of my sins and died for each and every one. I need to never be ashamed of this gospel of Christ, ever.  I need never to shy away from sharing this story of  this sacrificial love that God gave to each and everyone who will open their hearts to Him and seek His forgiveness. 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Me should not perish, BUT have EVERLASTING LIFE!" John 3:16

God loved us so much He gave His only son to die for our sins and all we have to do is believe on Him and in Him and we will spend eternity with Him, its forever, it never ceases.  Thank you God for the most awesome sacrifice that we will ever receive.  For Christ and his blood, I am thankful.  Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving! Time is just flying by, not sure if it is because I am getting older or just time is going faster..... humm something to think on. But not today! Today if full of food, fun and family but before this all begins, except for the turkey in the oven and the ham in the cooker, I want to share something with anyone who reads this blog.

2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift.

That gift is what I am the most thankful for today and every day.  His salvation. I just found this verse this am as I was looking for a verse of thanksgiving for this entry.  And believe me there are hundreds of them but this one really says it all. My salvation is the thing I am most thankful for because without God's loving hand on my life I would have none of the other things I am thankful for. I am His child and through that indescribable gift I will be his child from now and through eternity.  It determines my destiny. It guides my thinking and my daily life.  I am not always as appreciative of this gift and I am not always respectful of the gift I have been given, but thanks be to God because He loves me and when I go to Him with heavy heart of failure and beg for His forgiveness, He picks me up and sets me back up on my way and I try to do better. 

I don't think I have ever seen this verse before.  It touches my heart because what a beautiful way to explain what God's given us through the giving of His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in such a cruel way for all of my sins, all of my sins! He never thought twice about doing it.  He never hesitated to move ahead with His plan of salvation.  He was never distracted or drawn away from doing what He knew would need to be done in order for me to have any hope, any future.  I am going to do my best to remember this today and try for all times.  God gave me this wonderful gift and He only asks that I share it with others.  That I don't hesitate, or get distracted or drawn away from doing the work He has set before me.

I am so thankful for all the things of my life.  The good things, the hard things, the things that don't seem fun, the hard work of life and growing old.  I am thankful for hubby and children and grandbabies as well as extended family.  I am thankful for my church, my pastor and the priveledge of worshiping God.  I am thankful for my job, my co-workers and Boss' who care.  I am thankful for all that has been given to me, good things and sometimes not so good things(aches and pains) because I know that God sees my life and He knows my heart and even when I don't know what to say or do, He looks down at me and knows that I am His child and He loves me unconditionally.

If you are reading this blog, the only thing I ask of you it to know that God is real and He is the only person who can save you from going to Hell.  He only asks that you reach out to Him and confess your sins to Him and believe He will remove them from as far as the east is from the west and He will forgive you and create in you a new person; His child.  Know Him, Seek Him, Ask Him, Recieve Him!

Happy Turkey Day to all!!

Its Sunday morning and it seems like the weekend just started! We went camping this weekend, weather was awesome and the view was beautiful. God is so good to all of us and enriches our lives with friends and family and the wonderful things He created.  I was so reminded of all these things this weekend as we spent time with family and my two grandsons.  We missed our oldest son and his wife and our granddaughter, but they were gone on a trip to celebrate 10 years of marriage! So blessed!! just a note: youngest son and his wife will be celebrating 5 years of marriage in a few weeks! Am I a proud blessed Mom or what! All because of God's amazing love and grace.

I was thinking about what I wanted to post today and a verse in my morning devotion touched my heart, James 1:2-3(NASB) Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance."  I have a few people in my life who seem to have a lot of trials in their lives right now and some handling better than others.  I know that in my life I sometimes feel overwhelmed by trials and tests but most times, but not always, I try to see what God wants from these tests, what does He want me to see and how does He want me to respond.  I think sometimes, He just wants us to start growing up, He doesn't want us to be babies in His word from "birth" on, He wants us to start desiring the meat of God's word.  My husband is leading lessons in spriritual growth in Sunday School and I so wish I could sit in on them. 

God allows things to happen in our lives for a reason, or purpose.  We have to use His word to help us discern what it is He wants or doesn't want.  If I feel like I can't catch a break or my life is out of control God and His word reminds me to Be Still and remember He is God and can take care of everything or will make it easier to handle if it is something He wants to show me.  It is all in how I respond and react.
Here is an example:  I have started menopause and let me tell you, the hot flashes are probably the worst part so far.  At first I thought it would just be a temporary problem but appears that it may stay around longer than I would like!  I am trying to figure out what I can gain from the experience.  The conclusion I came up with is that God made me, I am not the only woman who will or is going through this and I need to handle it with Godly grace (as much as possible with sweat running down my back!) and to just remember that He will give me comfort and assurance that He is with me.  The hardest thing so far has been these mood swings that come out of nowhere! My poor loving hubby gets all the brunt of those, sorry sweetie, it isn't personal! I am trying to read my bible more during those times and pray because I know they will pass and it is just temporary.

That is what we all need to remember when trials and tests come upon it to ask God what he wants from us.  Is he showing us how to grow, is it for the benefit of others to see how we handle things or is it just to remind us that He is our Father and He wants us to lean on Him and not the world.  I know that it is hard sometimes but if God is our Saviour and Father then we need to reach out to Him, even when we don't feel like it.  We have no reason to ever be mad at God for anything.  He is in control of everything and it is very disrespectful for us to think that we know what is better for us than He does.  He created us and knows how we will react to each situation.  Think of the last time you went through something difficult:  How did you react? Did you respond??
Well time to get ready for church! Blog to you soon!